Consumables
GP Improves Press Efficiency With New Baldwin Protech HS Blanket Cleaning Technology
Thursday 31. January 2008 - One of the UKs most dynamic web offset houses, BGP, has endorsed the brush cleaning technology of Baldwins ProTech HS equipment with an order for two systems, following the successful retrofit of a ProTech HS on a 72-page MAN Lithoman press.
The five-year old press had been moved to the Bicester factory from the groups Colchester site. BGP has ordered ProTech HS systems for two new 72-page MAN Lithoman presses, which are due for delivery in February and April 2008.
“Since the Lithoman was commissioned here at Bicester we have run it around the clock, seven days a week, and the ProTech HS system has provided a first class clean of all blankets with total reliability,” says operations manager Ken Barton. “We handle runs on this press from 10,000 to 700,000, using stock between 42 – 115 gsm, so blanket cleaning would be a major task if we didnt have such an efficient system.”
Baldwins brush cleaning technology is one of the most established automatic blanket cleaning technologies in the world and offers huge advantages over manual cleaning, including reductions in blanket wash solution usage, paper waste and makeready times, in additional to ensuring a thorough, even clean of the blanket, plus important health and safety improvements.
ProTech HS is Baldwins most recent blanket brush cleaning model and incorporates an innovative injection system that ensures constant, uniform application of the washing agent on to the brush roller. This results in several benefits including significantly shorter wash cycle times and a reduction in blanket wash solution consumption of up to 25 per cent. The new spraying technology incorporated into the system eliminates the risk of blocked nozzles and one of the many key advantages of this is that the new system requires very little maintenance.
“Retrofitting the Baldwin equipment was straightforward. We normally carry out a clean after every 45,000 copies or during every second full makeready and the ProTech HS has proved to be very easy to operate, while providing our press operators with good access for servicing the press. The ProTech HS equipment gives us the flexibility to automatically clean blankets off and on-impression and in both cases the system provides a trouble-free, thorough clean with minimal paper waste,” says Mr Barton.